Community Profile - December 21, 2017

Richard’s parents got to select one of the first campsites at The Ocean Road Caravan Park when it initially first opened. The family lived in Colac and came every summer holidays, so he first arrived in Lorne as a baby. Richard remembers fondly getting to know all the local kids and iconic places like “the Rapids”, “the Paddlo’s”, and “the Tramps”, “The Games”, the hill at the “Bounce Ball”, “The Point” and the Ozone Café for milkshakes.

When Richard left school in Colac he began a traineeship with the then-SEC (State Electricity Commision). He spent 12 months in Ballarat, followed by 18 months in Collingwood, Essendon and Sunshine before returning to Colac for his third year. He then came to work in Lorne to complete his fourth year, staying on to work in the Mountjoy Parade SEC office for three years, renting and living locally. His next move was to Warrnambool and Hamilton and then back to Colac and in 1995 he was moved to Melbourne. He has worked with the company through many major changes. It is now known as Powercor.

In the early years he spent most of his weekends driving the Great Ocean Road, looking for a better surf spot, returning to Lorne to socialise at night, watching bands at the Pacific Hotel and spending some time living above the then-sports store in Mountjoy Parade.

In 2000 he met Jenni, and they went on to have two boys, William and Darcy.

“I had been looking for a house to buy down here for 20 years. One weekend in 2001, we came down for a friend’s wedding and ended up buying a house. Now, with our two children, I am watching history repeating itself with our family’s lifestyle in Lorne. We spend most of our time in the summer at the beach and at the surf club with both boys in the Nippers and I am still trying to get back into the surf whenever possible.” He enjoys the Aquatic Club where he can catch up with local mates from the old days.

Richard plays in a competition basketball team at MSAC in Melbourne and the school dads’ football team. He coached the St Kilda Park Primary School dads’ footy team this year. He cycles with his family around the St Kilda esplanade and rides his bike to work every day.

The family are great supporters of local businesses. Plenty of time is spent at The Swing bridge café catching up with friends and they go to the movies as much as possible to support the local theatre.

For six months during two consecutive winters, they have lived in Bali when the children were preschool, and in winter this year they travelled in a campervan for three weeks from Darwin to Uluru. They come to Lorne at every opportunity.